New York Fashion Week has barely begun and already we’re seeing which way the Spring 2014 winds are blowing. Seafoam or mossy green and lavender, for instance, have turned up on the runways of Jason Wu, Misha Nonoo, and Rag & Bone, suggesting a new spring color palate is in the making. Although these colors qualify technically as pastels, the shades aren’t saccharine. They’re a little dusty — like John Steinbeck pastels.

Steinbeck fans might also favor the overalls that we saw at Rag & Bone and Misha Nonoo. I’m betting the current fascination with the 1970s will produce more versions of this hayseed attire on the New York runways (but not on Euro catwalks. The general fascination with blue collar influences is distinctly American.

Peter Som’s beautiful ink-on-water prints on mod cheerful cuts dominated the collections that were shown on Friday. Designers are using prints to set themselves apart these days, so we see a lot of them. Som’s were so memorable that they’ll be recognizable for years — his mark for the Spring 2014 season. Further kudos: Som took a trend – trim, long dress shorts – and owned it by making them tweed cut-offs.

Rodebjer, a Swedish brand designed by Carin Rodebjer that is working to make inroads in the US, ignored every trend but called up languid images of visits to a spa. Its strong points were roomy shapes – total comfort – in natural fabrics. And flat sandals to die for.

Rag & Bone’s co-designer David Neville seemed distracted after the label’s Friday afternoon show, largely because he appeared to be in charge of his two rambunctious young children in addition to the normal catwalk chaos. The best of the collection involved black roses embroidered onto netting sewn over opaque fabrics. This gave a lovely and darkly romantic dimension to the clothes, and the aim was to add a feminine touch. “We can skew a little bit mensy at times,” Neville said, swinging a curly-headed toddler onto his hip.